On a daily basis we encounter various perspectives in the news we read online, our literary entertainment, the movies we see, and the songs we hear. Often, who we hear from is just as important as the message itself.

According to recent statistics, women make up the majority of those writing, reading and buying books, but are significantly less likely to be published or reviewed by major literary establishments. Only 17% of plays produced around the US are written by women. Women accounted for only 10% of the workforce of film writers in 2014.

We believe that storytellers shape our culture, and that who gets to tell the story is a critical question.

What you read matters.

Last year, Nancy Guppy and producer Sheila Mullen came out to shoot a segment on the newly released Hedgebrook Cookbook for Art Zone on our local PBS affiliate, KCTS. As they looked around our library full of books written by Hedgebrook alumnae, they marveled at the impact those hundreds of books could have in the world. They were so inspired they produced a documentary on Hedgebrook that was released earlier this year on the Seattle Channel and KCTS. We hope you enjoy it!

If you believe in the power of Women Authoring Change, help us support women writers by making a year end gift to Hedgebrook!

M. Louise McKay is currently the Director of External Relations at Hedgebrook, overseeing a crack team of marketing and fundraising divas in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. Louise is a former educator, consultant, and coach with a practical and academic background in the performing arts and nonprofit management. In her free time, she wrangles a house full of boys (toddler, teenager, and spouse) and one very patient cat in North Seattle.

Hedgebrook supports visionary women writers whose stories and ideas shape our culture now and for generations to come. The opinions expressed here are not necessarily representative of the opinions of Hedgebrook, its staff or board members.